CLASH OF THE TITANS

'''Clash of the Titans''' is a 1981 fantasy and mythology movie based on the myth of Perseus.
Stop motion animation is used to a large extent in the film to animate the various monsters. The special effects creatures were created by Ray Harryhausen, who retired from filmmaking shortly after the movie was released.

Contents

Plot

Cast

Trivia

Box Office

See also

References

External links

Plot

King Akrisius of Argos expresses anger towards Zeus for impregnating his daughter, Princess Danae. He then casts Danae and her infant son Perseus out to sea in a wooden chest. Unknown to everyone, a white bird who witnessed everything was really Poseidon, who informs Zeus of Akrisius' unfaithfulness. Zeus orders Poseidon to release the Kraken to destroy Argos by flooding his entire kingdom. While Argos is completely devastated, Danae and Perseus are safely brought to the island of Seriphos where they live a happy life and Perseus grows up to manhood.
Calibos - the spoiled son of Thetis, the goddess of the Sea - was a handsome young man destined to marry Princess Andromeda, the daughter of Queen Cassiopeia and heir to the rich city of Joppa and eventually all of Phoenicia. Zeus entrusted Calibos to care for the Wells of the Moon; Calibos instead hunted, trapped and killed everything that lived there, including Zeus’ sacred herd of flying horses, leaving only the stallion Pegasus alive. As punishment, Zeus transforms Calibos into a monster and he is shunned and forced to live as an outcast in the swamps and marshes. Thetis, furious at her son's fate, vows that if Calibos cannot marry Andromeda, then no other man will either.
Perseus is brought by Zeus from his island home on Seriphos to Joppa. He learns of Andromeda and her plight: she cannot marry unless her suitor successfully answers a riddle, which is given to her by Calibos. Any suitor that fails to answer the riddle correctly is burned at the stake. Using a number of gifts given to him by the gods, including the winged horse Pegasus and a helmet given to him by Athena that renders its wearer invisible, he discovers the answer to the riddle. Calibos nearly captures him, but Perseus cuts off his hand with a sword (another divine gift, this one from the goddess Aphrodite).
At the next ceremony for a new suitor, Perseus enters, guesses the riddle correctly and presents Calibos's severed hand, winning Andromeda's hand in marriage. At the wedding, Queen Cassiopeia foolishly compares Andromeda's beauty to that of Thetis herself, which angers the goddess. Thetis demands the life of Andromeda as a sacrifice to a sea monster (the Kraken) in 30 days; otherwise, the Kraken will destroy Joppa.

Perseus seeks a way to defeat the Kraken, the Last of the Titans (a reference to the race of monsters that pre-dated the gods.) He visits the Stygian Witches, three blind women who disclose that the only hope of survival in combat against the Kraken is by using the head of another monster, Medusa the Gorgon. Medusa, once a beautiful woman, was transformed by a jealous Aphrodite into a monster so horrible that mere eye contact will turn any living creature to stone, including the Kraken. She makes her home on the Isle of the Dead, which lies across the River Styx, at the very edge of the Underworld. Perseus travels there and kills her, removing her head, though he must contend with Calibos along the way - whom he finally kills with Aphrodite's sword.
Just as Andromeda is about to be sacrificed to the Kraken, Perseus appears astride Pegasus and turns the Last Titan to stone with Medusa's head, which is then cast into the ocean where it can do no more damage. Perseus frees Andromeda and they live happily together. The hero and heroine become constellations at the decree of Zeus, who does the same for Pegasus and Cassiopeia.

Cast

★ Harry Hamlin - Perseus

★ Maggie Smith - Thetis

★ Claire Bloom - Hera

★ Ursula Andress - Aphrodite

★ Judi Bowker - Andromeda

★ Burgess Meredith - Ammon

★ Sian Phillips - Cassiopeia

★ Laurence Olivier - Zeus

★ Jack Gwillim - Poseidon

Trivia

★ From an off-screen romance that occurred during the filming of this movie, Hamlin and Andress have a son named Dimitri.

★ As of May 1, 2006, writer Travis Beacham is writing a new script for a planned remake of the film. ^[1] The general plot outline seems to be the same, but a "darker, more realistic" tone is going to be infused into the story.

★ A cartoon about teenagers descended from Greek heroes bears the name ''Class of the Titans'', as a homage to the film.

★ Harry Hamlin reprises his role as Perseus by providing the character's voice in the 2007 video game ''God of War II''.

★ The Crash Bandicoot video game ''Crash of the Titans's name is a pun on Clash of the Titans.

★ The Kraken appears in the 2006 video game Marvel Ultimate Alliance.

Box Office

''Clash of the Titans'' was a box office hit, grossing $41 million dollars[1] domestically alone, on a $15 million dollar budget. It was the 11th highest grossing film of the year[2].

See also

★ List of stop-motion films

References

1. "New Writer on Clash of the Titans Remake" from ComingSoon.net

External links

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